Levin Statement on Lois Lerner's Resignation from IRS

Statement

Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today made the following statement after Lois Lerner resigned from the Internal Revenue Service. Lerner's resignation was received this morning after the IRS' internal Accountability Review Board completed its review and was set to propose Lerner's removal from the IRS on the basis of "neglect of duties" during Lerner's tenure as the Director of the Exempt Organization Division of IRS. This "mismanagement" is consistent with the findings of the TIGTA report, which was the reason Ranking Member Levin immediately called for Lerner to be relieved of her duties. However, there were no findings by the Accountability Review Board of political bias or willful misconduct.

"Lois Lerner is being held responsible for her gross mismanagement of the IRS tax-exempt division, which led to improper handling of applications for tax-exempt status, whether conservative and progressive. As has been the case in all aspects of the current IRS investigation, the IRS internal Review Board found no evidence of political bias in her neglect of duties. The basic overreaching premise of the Republicans that the IRS had an "enemies list' and was being influenced from the outside has been proven wrong again, as it has again and again. Just as the IRS has to move with all deliberate speed to restore the public trust, so too must the Republicans by not distorting the investigation and by acknowledging the improvements."

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